Loving Father
by Berylla Chubb
Summary: Ginny reminisces about the past while she watches Harry take care of their daughter.


She saw him across the empty ballroom, his eyes following her every move. Her breath caught in her throat as he walked toward her, and her hand unconsciously pressed against her racing heart as he held out his hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and gave him her hand, her elegant silk dress robes swishing around her as she stepped toward him. A slow, romantic song wafted through the air as he wrapped his arms around her and guided her onto the dance floor.

Her fingers traveled up his shoulders and soon got lost in his messy black hair as they danced. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent and hungrily eating up every detail about him as he pulled her closer.

"Do you know how absolutely gorgeous you are tonight, my love?" he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her skin as he lowered his face to kiss her neck. She sighed as she felt his fingers play with the soft curls of hair at the base of her neck and his strong arms tightened their embrace.

The music swelled to a dramatic pitch as he leaned her backwards into a dip, his face a fraction of an inch from hers. She gazed lovingly into his green eyes as her hands clutched at the collar of his dress robes. Her own eyes closed as their lips slowly closed the distance between them.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Ginny groaned as she woke up to the sound of her four-month-old daughter crying. She loved Lillian more than anything in the world, but so help her, if she didn't get more sleep, she was going to be a nervous wreck!

After a few seconds she resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to get up. Eyes still shut, she rolled over to the edge of the bed and was just about to sit up when she heard a voice.

"Aww, whatsa matter, Princess? Tell Daddy what's wrong!"

Ginny's eyes flew open to see the man from her dream, clad only in an undershirt and boxers, leaning over the crib to pick up their daughter. _Hmm, he must've just gotten home,_ she thought absently as she noticed his work clothes draped over a nearby chair. She watched as Harry held the baby against his shoulder and gently shushed her as he rocked her back and forth.

Lillian quieted down for a moment, then broke out anew with a fresh string of cries. Harry pursed his lips in thought, then felt her diaper. His face cleared in comprehension and he carried her over to the changing table.

Lillian finally stopped crying when Harry put her down and opened the diaper. Ginny stifled a laugh as his nose scrunched up at the sight and smell of what he found there. He quickly pulled out his wand, Vanished the diaper, and Scourgified the baby's bottom. His fingers gently tickled her stomach as he reached for another diaper. He smiled as she giggled and kicked her feet.

Harry scooted the fresh diaper under the baby's bottom and spread on some of Benjamin Spock's Rash-Be-Gone Cream. He strapped the diaper in place and then picked her up, lifting her high into the air. Lillian squealed with delight.

"There now; all clean!" he whispered lightly as he lowered her to his face to rub the tip of his nose against hers. Her hands slapped against his face and she squealed again as her tiny fingers closed over his glasses, pulled them off, and stuck one end in her mouth.

"Hey, stop that!" Harry laughed. He slowly extricated his glasses from the baby's little fist and put them back on as he kissed her forehead.

Ginny had seen this man in many stages of his life. Harry: the awkward little boy going off to his first year at Hogwarts. Harry: her knight in shining armor, complete with sword, as he stood triumphantly over the slain basilisk. Harry: the boyfriend who left her so she wouldn't be hurt as he faced his destiny. Harry: the hero of the wizarding world whose only thought after the war was how he would win her back. And then Harry: her husband, who seemed to say "I love you" with every look, every touch, and every kiss. But out of all those moments, Ginny had to say that this was the way she liked him best: as a loving father. Nothing was more attractive to her than the sight of Harry taking care of their daughter.

Suddenly Ginny's alarm clock went off, waking her from her reverie. She glanced at it: it was two o'clock, feeding time. She looked back and noticed Harry smiling at her.

"Guess what, sweetie! Time to eat! Are you hungry, Princess?" Harry said lightly to Lillian as he carried her over to the bed. Ginny pulled herself up into a sitting position, shut off the alarm, and unbuttoned her sleep shirt to expose her breast.

"Hi," Harry whispered to her as he gave her a quick kiss and handed her the baby. As Ginny leaned forward to guide her nipple into the baby's mouth, Harry skirted around to the other side of the bed and sat next to her. Once she got Lillian to latch on, she leaned back and found Harry's arm behind her shoulders.

Ginny sighed as she snuggled into Harry's embrace. "Raid went well?" she asked.

Harry nodded as he stifled a yawn. "We finally found Voldemort's wand. Would you believe it though; when we brought it back to headquarters, a group of historians were in the Atrium of the Ministry protesting against destroying it. Said it was an important historical artifact that should be displayed in a museum. We probably spent more time fighting the protestors than we did the Death Eaters." He shook his head. "You would think that after two wars people would realize what a dangerous thing that is."

"I suppose if you weren't directly involved in the fight, it's easy to forget all the suffering and sacrifice that took place," Ginny commented.

"Or that could take place," Harry added in a hollow voice. He swallowed as he leaned his chin on Ginny's shoulder and reached over to stroke Lillian's curly red hair. As he did this, Lillian's little green eyes opened and stared up at them. The steady _thup, thup, thup_ of her sucking paused for a moment before she started up again.

When Harry lifted his chin off her shoulder, Ginny turned to him and gave him a comforting smile, knowing that at times like this his mind would often wander back to all the heartache he had worked so hard to deal with these past few years. Their eyes locked, and Harry let out a sigh as he returned the smile. He leaned in and kissed her cheek as his hands moved to her shoulders and started to gently knead her tense spots.

As Harry continued his massage, Ginny became acutely aware of the fact that she didn't look too great at this moment. Her hair was all over the place, her pajamas were frumpy, and she suddenly realized she didn't get the chance to bathe yesterday. However, as concerned as she might have been by her appearance, all those self-conscious thoughts disappeared the moment he nuzzled her hair.

"Do you know how absolutely gorgeous you are tonight, my love?" he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her skin as he lowered his face to kiss her neck.

Ginny just smiled.


End file.
